Priozersky District

Priozersky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the northwest of the oblast and borders with Lakhdenpokhsky District of the Republic of Karelia in the north, Vsevolozhsky District in the south, and Vyborgsky District in the west. In the east, the district is bounded by Lake Ladoga. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the town of Priozersk. Population (excluding the administrative center): 42,859 (2002 Census); Geography The area of the district is elongated from north to south along the shore of Lake Ladoga. It completely belongs to the catchment area of Lake Ladoga, with the biggest river being the Vuoksi. The landscapes are typical for Kartelian Isthmus, with the hilly and rocky terrain covered by coniferous forest, and with many lakes. The biggest lakes in the district are Lake Vuoksa, Lake Sukhodolskoye, and Lake Otradnoye. Konevets Island on Lake Ladoga also belongs to the district. Forests occupy 63% of the area of the district. History The territory of the modern district was originally settled by Karelians around the 1st century CE. It was a part of the Kievan Rus' from the 9th to 12th century. After that, it was a part the Novgorod Republic. Most Karelians were converted to the Russian Orthodox faith during Russian rule. Russians built the fortress of Korela, which was a nucleus of modern Priozersk. The territory passed hands many times during the 16th and 17th centuries between Russians and Swedish, until it was finally claimed by Russians in 1711 during the Great Northern War. During Swedish rule in the area, the town was known by its Swedish name Kexholm, which in Russian became Keksgolm. In the 18th century, it was a part of Saint Petersburg Governorate, and later of Vyborg Governorate, which in 1812 was included in the newly created Grand Duchy of Finland as its Viipuri Province. It became part of independent Finland, when the former Grand Duchy declared its independence in December 1917. During the Interwar Period, the location was known by its Finnish and Swedish names; Käkisalmi (Finnish) and Kexholm (Swedish).